Photo by Chris Krebs via the Austrian Wine Marketing Board
As announced via the website of the Austrian Wine Marketing Board, the vineyards of Austria will be eligible for classification as of 2025. As such, the finest vineyards of the land may soon bear the title of Grosse Lage (Grand Cru) or Erste Lage (Premier Cru).
The legal basis for this official, nationwide classification system is the recently passed Wine Law Collective Decree of 2023. Established vineyards—designated as Rieden by some regional organizations—may first be designated as Erste Lage (Premier Cru). Vineyards so designated will be eligible for Grosse Lage (Grand Cru) status after five years.
- Additional qualifications for the new designations include the following:
- Vineyards must be located within a Districtus Austriae Controllatus (DAC) region that has previously defined the three available quality levels of wine (Gebietswein/Regional Wine, Ortswein/Village Wine, and Riedenwein/Single-vineyard Wine)
- Grapes must be hand-harvested
- Maximum yields will be set, and are expected to be substantially lower than the general standard for the region
- Designations must be approved by the National Wine Committee. Approval will require the submission of a detailed application describing the geography, soil, climate, historical significance, value, and potential quality of each vineyard and wine.
The ratings are expected to appear on wine labels beginning in 2025 (at the earliest).
References/for more information:
- https://www.austrianwine.com/press-multimedia/news/news-1/article/austria-defines-the-legal-basis-for-an-official-vineyard-classification-system
- Wine Law Collective Decree of Austria 2023 (only available in German)
Post authored by Jane A. Nickles…your blog administrator: jnickles@societyofwineeducators.org